1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate generally to the field of robotic devices, and more particularly to a multi-function robotic device having utility in various applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Automatic or autonomous devices (i.e., robotic devices or robots) that can be used for home and commercial applications, such as cleaning, often utilize consumables that need to be replenished; in this context, such consumables generally include, but are not limited to, fresh water or fluid cleaning solutions, floor wax, buffers or cleaning pads, and the like. Conventional devices of this nature categorically require an owner or operator to refill liquid reservoirs or otherwise to replenish consumable supplies manually. From a consumer's perspective, it is generally recognized that the handling and installation of such consumables can be difficult, laborious, messy, or a combination of each. From a manufacturer's perspective, distribution of multiple consumables for use with a single device can be inefficient, difficult (e.g., due to distribution channel constraints), or both. Conventional technology has failed to provide a simple and efficient way for an owner or operator of a robotic device to replenish consumables required by the device.
Robotic devices often allow a certain degree of user direction or control in order to affect functional characteristics or operational behavior; whether capable of operating completely or only partially autonomously, however, a functional robotic device generally must be operative to navigate around an environment with no, or minimal, input from a user or an operator. To be cost-effective for many home or commercial applications, conventional sensor systems enabling or facilitating robot navigation tend to be very simple. In that regard, primitive navigation systems cause conventional devices to ricochet around an operating environment inefficiently; these devices reactively carom off of obstacles and repeatedly re-visit areas that have already been treated, wasting valuable consumables and battery capacity. As an alternative, it would be useful to implement a sophisticated sensor system in a way that serves a number of functions while minimizing or eliminating redundancies to maintain cost-effectiveness.
When a robot is not operating, it is often desirable to remove the robot from its operating environment after its task is complete. For example, a robotic device tasked with cleaning a kitchen floor may present a hazard to occupants of the kitchen if it remains in a traffic area even after it has completed a cleaning cycle. Conventional mechanisms (such as “docking” or charging stations) that purport to facilitate robot storage are deficient; as a result of inefficient mechanical and electrical mating structures, as well as inadequate navigational capabilities, many robots cannot reliably and consistently engage with conventional docking or charging stations. While failing to provide a reliable robot storage and charging solution, conventional implementations also generally fail to allow a robot to view its operating environment from an advantageous perspective when engaged in its base or charging station.
Additionally, conventional robotic devices are generally application- or task-specific, i.e., they are configured and operative to perform a specific function to the exclusion of other functions. As an example, a floor mopping robot may include structural elements that are specifically designed and operative to enable mopping functionality; additionally, computer hardware and software, any sensor systems, and the like, that govern or otherwise influence operation of the robot are all dedicated exclusively to the particular application-specific structural arrangement that allows the robot to mop a floor. Such a floor mopping robot cannot be reconfigured to perform other operations (e.g., vacuuming a floor or waxing a floor) without significant structural modifications; in addition, sensor reconfiguration, software reprogramming, or some combination thereof is also required in order to alter the overall functionality of a typical robotic platform. Conventional technology has failed to provide a simple and efficient way for an owner or operator of a robotic device selectively to reconfigure the device to perform a desired function.